The Brilliant Mr. Feynman (Update)
27 May - 52 minsWhat happens when an existentially depressed and recently widowed young physicist from Queens gets a fresh start in California? We follow Richard Feynman out west, to explore his long and extremely fruitful second act. (Part two of a three-part series originally published in 2024.)
SOURCES:
Seamus Blackley, video game designer and creator of the Xbox.
Carl Feynman, computer scientist and son of Richard Feynman.
Michelle Feynman, photographer and daughter of Richard Feynman.
Ralph Leighton, biographer and film producer.
Charles Mann, science journalist and author.
John Preskill, professor of theoretical physics at the California Institute of Technology.
Li...
Series Episodes
The Curious Mr. Feynman (Update)
From the Manhattan Project to the Challenger investigation, the physicist Richard Feynman loved to shoot down what he called “lousy ideas.” Today, the world is awash in lousy ideas — so maybe it’s time to get some more Feynman in our lives? (Part one of a three-part series originally published in 2024.)
1 hour 3 mins
22 May Finished
675. Has the New York Times Become a Games Company?
Not exactly. But their runaway success with games like Wordle says something bigger about the way we live now. (Part one of a series, “We Are All Gamers Now.”)
57 mins
15 May Finished
674. How Does a Composer Feel After the World Premiere?
Great. Then depressed. Then great again. Stephen Dubner gets the full story from David Lang; we also hear from some fans, and the New York Philharmonic’s president. The math and the aftermath of “wealth of nations.” (Part two of a series.)
45 mins
8 May Finished
Was Adam Smith Really a Right-Winger? (Update)
Economists and politicians have turned him into a mascot for free-market ideology. Some on the left say the right has badly misread him. In this updated replay of a 2022 episode, we hold a very Smithy tug of war.
1 hour 8 mins
6 May Finished
673. What Is Money?
That’s what the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang wanted to learn. So he turned Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations into an oratorio. We tag along as Lang’s piece heads toward its world premiere with the New York Philharmonic. (Part one of a two-part series.)
54 mins
1 May Finished
